(Newser)
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Starbucks is taking aim at a new demographic: those who avoid the brand at all costs. The chain is promoting a makeover for Seattle’s Best Coffee, a brand it acquired nearly a decade ago, in the hope that it will capture middle-market coffee drinkers. To that end, the subsidiary has cut deals with Burger King, Subway, AMC cinemas, and Delta Airlines, where it’s now served on every flight.

Seattle’s Best has 325 shops; it will soon open 10 more inside Canadian Walmart stores. It’s now sold in 50,000 locations, but Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz wants to double that. The goal: $1 billion in revenue. “People don't drink no-name colas, but lots of people drink no-name coffees,” says president Michelle Gass. She hopes to change that, seeking customers who’d like name-brand coffee without the “class statement” of Starbucks, Business Week notes.

Seattle's Best & Starbucks aren't bad but what's with the numbering on the coffee? Is it that hard to print & read French Roast? Still, I prefer Trader Joes coffee but Starbucks & Seattle's Best are fine when I'm not home.

pg13

May 1, 2011 9:32 PM CDT

Hand grinder, $30. Cup drip funnel, $5. Electric hot water kettle, $15. Whole beans, $8/bag. Average price for a cup of PERFECT coffee: $0.30/cup. Chance Starbucks will EVER get me as a customer, even with their no-name brand: 0%.

gomer99

May 1, 2011 7:58 PM CDT

Starbucks and, more importantly, its customers, typify the tip of the trashing of contemporary society: Trendiness, superficiality, and high cost passing for quality. Those who drink -- and pay for -- Starbucks and their clones.........deserve it.